having my first fill tomorrow- what to expect

[armywife2002 0]

i was banded on 3/17, and im having my first fill tomorrow. my appointment was originally for a couple of weeks ago, but while out of town visiting family, i ended up in the hospital for a week and having my gall bladder removed, then i had to stick around for another couple of weeks til i was able to drive back home.

anyway, i had had no problems with eating until this past week. i could only eat a little, and then i was stuffed, and last check according to my home scale i was down 20lbs or so. now im eating too much again, i guess the band has loosened from the weight loss or something. im not eating as much i was pre-surgery, but more than i should be, you know? so i guess this is a good time for the fill.

i have no idea what to expect with this fill. does it hurt? what do you feel like afterwards? hows the eating? im so nervous, lol

[SuzanneG 1]

I was so nervous for my first fill, I thought I might actually pass out. My fill was done with fluro and I wasn't prepared for the fact that you do it standing up and that really shook me up. They actually put a chair behind me just in case. ha ha

Having said that, it was a BREEZE. You can hardly feel the needle, it hurt less than a blood draw or a shot. It's really quick, you walk in, back up to the xray machine, they put a cup of barium in your hand, you may or may not swallow a test drink, then the needle goes in, Fluid in, another drink, if it looks good, the needle comes out and your on your way. If not, he may adjust and have you take another drink.

Most of the time, the whole thing takes less than 5 mins! Good luck!

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

Not all docs use fluoro for fills. I lie down, put my arms above my head. The nurse practitioner uses a little lidocaine to numb the spot so there's a little prick. Then the actual fill and it's nothing at all. Even without the lidocaine, it wouldn't be bad I don't think. You will be asked to sit and drink a cup of Water to make sure you aren't too tight and then you can leave. My doc requires mushy foods for the rest of the day. Some require liquids for a day and then mushies for a day. I will tell you that I now have 5.1cc in my band and I really wasn't hungry at lunch time so I waited a bit. Ate a can of Soup and a few bites of salad and I am full! I could stand for this to last! Good luck!

[soontobelovely 0]

Hello Parrothead Cathy,

I notice that you live in Conyers, GA...I live next door in Covington. My surgery is scheduled for 5/15. What doctor do you go to for fills? How much?

Thanks,

Soontobelovely

[Kentucky_Princess 0]

Hi ArmyWife. I got my first fill yesterday, the 27th. I did not feel a thing! Couldn't believe it! He gave me 3 cc's.But I'm sure I didn't get enough. I feel no restriction whatsoever. I am due to go back May 18th. I feel no different now from before the fill. Really nothing to be nervous about.

[jelbel 0]

I was dizzy and almost had a panic attack, and guess what didn't feel much and it was nothing to worry about.

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

Soontobe, Hi, neighbor! We should get together some time since you're so close! My surgeon is Dr. Chris Hart. I went to him through the True Results program. Their office is on Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, just down past the intersection with Hammond Drive. Kind of a long way from home but only 15 minutes from my office. (True Results offers the whole package...pre-op supervised weight loss if your insurance requires it, surgery with the Lap Band AP band, and aftercare). My first 10 fills are included in the price of the surgery. After that, I believe they are $125. The staff is wonderful! You could call and see if they do aftercare for someone who didn't have their surgery through their program.

[soontobelovely 0]

Hi Cathy,

Maybe we should send each other a private e-mail...

mine is: crystaldavis46@hotmail.com.

I would love to talk to you some more.

Crystal

[armywife2002 0]

all these georgia people... we were in augusta til last year :thumbup:

i got 2cc put in yesterday. it wasnt bad. my port flipped around i guess, so they had to manipulate it back which was weird... and uncomfortable, but not painful. lets see if it gives me some restriction. im down another 10lbs, which is good, but disappointing, because my scale at home had been wavering between 15 and 20 for the past couple fo days

[jet9999 0]

I'm scheduled to get my first fill tomorrow May 4th and am really glad I saw this thread. I was banded on March 23rd and have (knock on wood) absolutely no issues so far. Weight loss was minimal (11 lbs as of today) but I'm not dissapointed because it's 11 lbs that I'm not carrying around.:thumbdown:

I think the hardest thing for me so far is to keep up with the exercise I need to do; really working on keeping my 6:15 til 7:00 schedule even if it's with a DVD if weather is poor.

I'm so much looking forward to some the type I had week 3 after surgery; that might be the famous (or infamous) sweet spot that people talk about. I could eat about a cup of food at a time and feel great.

My biggest problem is patience.

Wishing you all the best